I Am Not A Body
Original Post October 6, 2008
The genesis of my thesis work dealt largely with the physical body in relation to environment. Finding peace and deep understanding about this dynamically changing relationship caused me great consternation. Initially I was driven by a subconscious fear, a mostly undirected, vague, menacing sort of fear that I eventually realized was about the changes in my physical form and the process of figuring out how to be okay with those changes.
My sense of self has been directly linked to my physical form, at least historically, and along with this link there has been the aforementioned unease simmering away. It was important for me to face this fear of the unknown and to come to terms with the reality of change in our bodies and the disparate relationship between our minds and the body that we inhabit.
It was with halting steps that I began the journey of a two year project exploring various facets of identity, memory, and time. At some point along the way the morbid fascination with how my body was changing, growing older, and closer to death with each passing day faded away and I began to find peace with the realization that I am not a body.
This post is probably going to appear nonsensical to the 2 people who may read it, but for me 2 years of work originated with a tiny seed of fear and doubt that led me a place of equanimity. I don’t think I could ask for any more from a project such as this. In the future I’ll be posting some fragments of the writing that helped me find my way.
Tags: Creativity, Photography, Thesis